Block to Cadle's prize

Basketball

DUNCAN HOOPER

When London Towers' players celebrate their Budweiser League championship this weekend in the final games of the regular season, their coach, Kevin Cadle, will be reflecting that the prize he most cherishes remains out of reach.

The new European Super League for the Continent's top 24 clubs launches in September, but English basketball does not rate highly enough to earn a place. Cadle, who is poised for a clean sweep of all the domestic titles for the fourth time in six years, recognises that European basketball is the only meaningful test of a league's competitive status. "English basketball is not ready for the Super League yet," the American acknowledges, "and we won't be ready for a while. We have to go one step at a time and get the finances and the administration right."

The International Federation's rankings have been based on the last three years, when English clubs' poor record in European competitions has left them rated below such countries as Georgia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Macedonia and Ukraine. Spain, Greece, Italy and France will each have three clubs in the Super League.